Footwork on backhands

If you look closely at photos of infielders who are backhanding a ground ball, you’ll probably notice some differences in footwork. Which footwork the fielder chooses has to do with the type of groundball that was hit. Was it hit hard but fairly close to you or was it hit with average speed but farther away? Whatever the answer is will determine which footwork to use.

On balls hit very hard but not very far (a step or two away) fielders will open their non-glove side foot and field the ball inside that foot like in Photo 1. Balls hit farther away where the fielder has to move a number of steps will require the fielder to lead with the glove-side foot forward. He also will field the ball outside the foot as shown in Photo 2. In Photo 1, because the ball is hit hard and relatively close, the fielder doesn’t have much time to cross over to field. That’s why just opening up the lead foot is best. In Photo 2, the ball was hit farther away which creates a lot of momentum away from first base for the fielder. This will require the fielder to stop their momentum before attempting to throw to first. Fielding with the glove-side foot forward will allow the fielder to cross over with the other foot after catching the ball, plant their foot which stops their momentum, and then push off to throw to first.

Backhands are one of the tougher plays for infielders. Like most other things in baseball, master the footwork and you’ll see quick improvements.